September 27th
Today is the first day I have not felt there are projects that must be done, even though there are. Yesterday was spent trying to get the outboard motor running; the very same one we took to Mexico. Cooling passages were clogged, and in the process of removing the head, one of the head bolts broke. Then in the process of drilling out the broken bolt and trying to tap a new hole, the tap broke off. Now I have the problem of getting the tap out. Not good.
So the project for today was to get the outboard that came with Mister Ed running. It's 9.8hp, weighs a ton, and hasn't been run in 6-7 years. The prospect of buying a new outboard was looming high on the horizon. With new gas, the thing started on the 5th pull! Maybe there is a God after all!
Much of the day has been spent speeding around the anchorage doing an Italian tune-up. Judy and I then went to a nearby beach for some shell hunting. Just like old times. Nice. Gabe and Sam would have come, but they are still doing school. Maybe a few more field trips without them, they will realize they are missing out on some pretty cool stuff, and will concentrate more.